Whispers in the Night
by Settiai
Summary: Most of the time all she cares about is surviving. Sometimes she wants more. :: Harry/Hermione/Severus


"_The theory is that there are an infinite number of alternate realities. Some of them are very different, and some are almost identical."_

Sometimes Hermione wondered what the world would have been like if they had succeeded in defeating Voldemort. How differently might events have played out if he hadn't discovered that Draco Malfoy was the master of the Elder Wand? How many lives might have been saved? What might she have done with her life?

Of course, she rarely had time to let her mind dwell on what might have been. There were more important things to worry about. Surviving being at the top of the list.

Clutching her wand tightly in her hand, she let out a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding as she Apparated in front of the ramshackle house that had been home for the past six months. She quickly glanced around, making certain her arrival hadn't drawn any unwanted attention, before reaching into her pocket with her free hand and pulling out her key. Her intricately woven wards made it almost impossible to open the door without it.

The door opened with a barely audible click, and Hermione quickly slipped inside. She narrowed her eyes as it closed behind her, trying to see in the dim light. Then she froze when she felt a familiar pressure on her back: a wand being pressed against her skin.

"It's me, Harry," she said softly.

The wand at her back wavered for a moment but wasn't pulled away. "That's not what you looked like when you left this morning," Harry said skeptically. "You were a man, not a woman. And your hair was a lighter shade of brown."

Shaking her head, Hermione turned around so that the wand was pointed at her chest. "It's a variation on the normal Polyjuice—it isn't as easy for You-Know-Who's followers to detect," she explained, meeting his gaze. "You include something from multiple people, and your appearance will change several times throughout the day. With some warning, of course, so you have time to make certain no one is watching. Severus has been working on it for a while now, and he left the instructions the last time he was here."

"Why would we have anything to do with Severus Snape?" Harry asked, still not lowering his wand. "After everything he's done?"

Hermione shot him a fond look. "Because we both know whose side he's really on," she said gently. "And how much he means to both of us, even if one of us is too stubborn to actually admit it out loud."

Harry finally let his wand drop, a sheepish look on his face. "Better safe than sorry?" he said, shrugging weakly.

A shudder suddenly ran through her body. "It doesn't really matter," she said, gritting her teeth. "I'm about to change back anyway."

He jumped back as she doubled over, gasping with pain. The bag she had been carrying over her shoulder slipped off her arm, falling to the ground with a thud. A few tears welled up in her eyes as her body changed. She could feel every shift in her appearance, and for a second she thought it was more than she could bear. Then, just as quickly as it had started, it was over.

She blinked in surprise when she realized that she was kneeling on the floor, breathing so heavily it sounded as if she was gulping. Harry was on his knees beside her, gently rubbing her back as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It was surprising sometimes how war changed people, bringing them together in ways that would have seemed impossible in the past.

"Polyjuice Potion isn't supposed to hurt that much when you transform," Harry hissed, his eyes flashing. "Damn it, Hermione, what kind of changes did Snape make?"

Hermione managed a weak smile. "We're still working out a few of the problems with this new variation."

He didn't smile back. "I noticed."

Sighing, she pushed herself to her feet and ignored his protests. "I managed to trade for some food without anyone asking too many questions," she said, leaning down to pick up the bag she had dropped. Harry snatched it from her hands. "It should be enough to last us the rest of the month, in case he isn't able to make it again this week."

"Next time I should be the one to go out." Harry met her gaze stubbornly. "You've gone the last three times."

Hermione let out a quiet laugh as she leaned in to kiss his cheek, but she didn't say anything in reply. Harry was frowning as she pulled away, and she could tell that he'd understood what she had meant by her silence.

"Hermione."

"You're the Boy Who Lived," she said simply, her hand resting on his arm, "and You-Know-Who has spies everywhere. It's not safe for you to go out using regular Polyjuice, not when they're able to detect it so readily, and the new version isn't finished yet."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "The new version that you used today?"

She shook her head, nimbly grabbing the bag from his hands and heading toward the kitchen. "This was just a trial run," she called over her shoulder. "Like I said, we're still working a few problems out. Once we have the side effects under control, I'll let you use it. But not until then."

Muttering under his breath, he started to follow her.

"Oh, stop your grumbling," she called over her shoulder.

***

Hermione frowned as she opened her eyes and found herself staring out into darkness. She normally wasn't the type to wake up in the middle of the night without good reason. A quick glance to her left told her that it wasn't Harry who had woken her up; he was sprawled out on the other side of the bed, tangled in the sheets and snoring softly.

She sat up, shivering a little as the thin sheet slipped down to her waist. Her uncovered nipples grew hard almost instantly in the cool air. Glancing around the room, she caught a hint of movement in the doorway, and her hand was halfway to her wand on the bedside table before she realized that se recognized the shadowy figure standing there.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to make it," Hermione said, letting her hand drop back down on the bed. "Isn't security at Hogwarts tighter than ever since the last round of executions?"

There wasn't an answer, not that she had expected there to be one. Severus was standing in the doorway, staring at the two of them. She couldn't see his eyes in the dimness, but she suspected that they were intently focused on the scene in front of him. Smiling, she elbowed Harry in the side.

"What?" he groaned, his voice thick with sleep.

Hermione laughed. "We have a visitor."

In the doorway, Severus shifted. "I must say this sight is rather," he paused for a moment, his lip curling up in what looked like thinly disguised amusement, "adorable."

Harry muttered something inaudible into the pillow before lifting his head up enough that they could hear what he said. "Do everyone here a favor, Snape, and never use that word again. That's the kind of thing that could give a bloke nightmares."

Severus smirked. "I'll keep that in mind, Potter."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione pushed Harry over some and moved toward the middle of the bed herself. Shaking his head, he sat up and let his gaze drifted between Hermione and Severus. There was a thoughtful look in his eyes, as if he was waiting to see how the next scene played out.

"Join us?" Hermione asked, smiling at Severus.

He hesitated.

"I should get back to the castle. The Dark Lord had something for me to do, which is why I was able to slip away. If I haven't returned by morning, there will be questions that could cause trouble for all of us."

Hermione let out a sigh before rolling out of bed, barely noticing the way both Harry and Severus's eyes focused on her bare body. "I didn't say you should spend the night," she said, stopping a breath's length away from the doorway. She reached out and touched Severus's arm. "I only asked you to join us for a little while. It's been almost a month, Severus."

There was a rustling sound behind her, followed by a soft thud and the sound of footsteps. The next thing she knew, Harry was standing beside her. "Come on, Snape," he said, wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist. "We both know there's no arguing with her. And it has been too long."

Severus chuckled, and for a moment the dark shadows under his eyes seemed to disappear. "Once again, Potter, you've stated the obvious."

Hermione's grin didn't fade as she leaned forward to kiss him. Harry didn't move his arm, and her movement pulled him along with her so that he was pressed against both of them. As soon as they broke the kiss, Harry reached out and began unbuttoning Severus's robes. Hermione slipped out of Harry's grip, standing back to watch as Severus pressed a kiss against Harry's neck.

Sometimes Hermione wondered what the world would have been like if they had succeeded in defeating Voldemort. But as Severus's robes fell to the ground and she pulled both men toward the bed, the only thought she had was that for a little while nothing else mattered except the three of them, living every moment as if it might be their last.


End file.
